The Nutcracker

Lisa & I went to see the Nutcracker with our friends Rebecca and Abby. This is the second year that we have seen the ballet. I liked this year's performance better. It was really beautiful!

While we were gone, Matt & Stanley went to the children's hospital and brought some toys to donate as gifts. Then they got slushies at Sonic.

We got dressed up.

This is as fancy as we get.

Waiting for the show to start

Eating cookies during intermission

Photo by a five-year-old

Sweet friends

Fun times at the Nutcracker!

Birthday Party

Lisa went to her friend's birthday party at a nail salon. She picked blue as her nail polish color.

The girls with their polish

So fancy!

Getting her nails filed

The party getting frozen yogurt with fancy nails

Gymnastics

Lisa has joined gymnastics again. She's had 2 lessons so far. She loves practicing handstands and cartwheels!

Practicing the balance beam

Video of Lisa on the bars:

Other fun things we've been doing...

Field Trip

Stan's class went to see a play, so he got all dressed up. He was looking sharp!

Hiking
We went for a beautiful hike, and we found a wooly bear caterpillar.

Fuzzy wooly bear

Beautiful day

Library
We love our library! Both kids read to Cooper the dog, and then we read books by the fireplace.

Stanley reading

Lisa reading

Fun with Cooper

Cozy fireplace

Holiday happenings!

So many fun ways to celebrate the season! The kids each have advent calendars (Star Wars Lego for Stan & horse farm Playmobil for Lisa), we've put up and decorated the tree, we went to Hometown Holidays to see the Camas tree lighting, and the kids visited with Santa. And there's still more fun coming this month!

Decorating our tree

Tree Decorators

Hometown Holidays

Having fun in the crowds

In front of the tree

Bundled-up kids

Hot chocolate

Video of the tree lighting and fireworks:

Santa

Santa!

Lisa asked for cat toys.

Meeting with the big guy

Stan asked for YuGiOh cards.

End of the soccer season

Lisa's soccer season has come to an end. She had a fun time on her team, the Ladybugs! She didn't always love playing in the games (she didn't like everyone looking at her and yelling at her). But she always had fun at practices! She loved playing with her friends, and she loved her coaches. It was fun to have more time with her pre-K teacher Mrs. Christen as one of her coaches, and Brook, the assistant coach, has become a favorite babysitter!

To end the season, the team had a party at Round Table pizza. Each player got a personal certificate award and a trophy. Lisa got the "Most Supportive Player" award. Lisa is always kind and helpful with her friends!

One of Lisa's last games:

Lisa's soccer pictures:

Soccer party:

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun day on Halloween! Lisa's classroom had a pumpkin celebration with lots of fun activities. After school, I took the kids to IHOP for "scary-face pancakes." When we got home, we carved our pumpkins and had a fun Halloween inspired dinner. Then it was out for trick-or-treating! The weather was a little rainy, but it could've been worse! Just a little drizzle. The kids got a lot of candy! Lisa and I went home a littler earlier, and Matt and Stan stayed out and hit a few more houses. It was a fun day!

Lisa & Mrs. Schram at pumpkin day in her K classroom

Having fun at the pumpkin day celebration!

Stanley's Scary-Face Pancake

Lisa's Scary-Face Pancake

Halloween dinner:
jack-o-lantern watermelon, roasted pumpkin seeds, and hotdog mummies

Ready for trick-or-treating!

Our jack-o-lanterns!

Trick-or-treating

Water Park & Aviation Museum

Last weekend we travelled down to McMinnville, Oregon to visit Wings & Waves Waterpark and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

The first day, we went to the waterpark. There are huge water slides, a wave pool, a climbing structure including water features, and a vortex pool. It was so fun! Stanley & Matt went down the water slides many times. To get to the top of the slides, there are stairs that reach all the way to the roof! Lisa preferred the calm, regular pool. She just loves to swim around!

Ready to play!

So many slides!

They kids had a great time!

There's an airplane on the roof!
And that's where the slides all begin!

That evening we ate dinner in downtown McMinnville at Grain Station Brew Works. It was a great atmosphere and the food was delicious! We stayed in a hotel that night, and had breakfast there in the morning.

At the restaurant
(Stanley loves his daddy)

The girls at the restaurant

The next day, we went to the aviation museum. We've been here before, but it's such an interesting place to visit! It features the Spruce Goose, which is massive! But there are many different types of planes, flying machines, and space craft on display.

Ready for a fun day at the museum!

Pilot Lisa

Old-school airplane seats

The Spruce Goose

Attention!

So many interesting things to see!